Is The Brethren Movement Dead — I

Dr. Johnson C. Philip

[There are a number of pulpit-speakers and one-man publications in India that have been creating a feeling of bitterness and rebellion in the hearts of young believers against the Assemblies. Motivated mostly by greed, these people only stand to gain if the assemblies are spiritually weakned. Assemblies have spiritually and materially nurtured these men, but in turn they have no loyalty to the Assemblies. Here is a series of articles that takes an in depth look on what these people are doing to destroy the testimony that was established by great men in India a century ago — The Ed]

Almost every Christian likes and defends his church, but it seems that for some reason many Brethren believers are turning against their own fellowship. Articles like “Are The Brethren Dead”, and “Why The Brethren Are Dead”, etc. are making appearance here and there in minority or rebel one-man publications. Many believers, mostly those who do not have much idea of the Assembly Heritage in India, are quick on reading these rebellion-fostering publications to denounce the whole movement, only to lavish praises upon Pentecostals or other such non-assembly groups. Worse, the animosity against the assemblies among the assembly believers has been increasing, and if this is allowed to continue, soon we will reach the point of no-return. Thus now is the time for self-examination and restoration.

Is It Needed: Two years ago a brother wrote to me, “do not try to defend the assemblies. This group is going to die, if it is not already dead. I have no loyalty to it”. In other words, if the assemblies in India are on the path of death, we the members of it should simply accept it as our fate, and consent to die with it. This is an amazing treatment for the supposed disease.

How is it that when a person in our families becomes critically ill, we invest all our material resources — and more — on diagnosis and treatment, but do not show the same attitude to something that is far more than this ? People spend hundreds of thousands to treat even the old and feeble, inspite of them having practically finished their earthly course. The very person who wrote me this letter is in his late seventies, and is known to spend a considerable fortune to fight his ailments, to keep alive and remain reasonably healthy, but does not want something similar done to the assemblies of believers ! This is definitely a self-contradiction, an attitude not derived from the Scriptures.

The human life is something to be spent and finished. The Universal church is something that grows, multiplies, and leads saints to perfection — which is just the opposite of extinction. Since the local churches are the visible component of the Universal church, and since New Testament pattern churches are the biblical form of local church, its ultimate destiny is NOT extinction. It should only grow from strength to strength, and we should NEVER be happy about its seeming shortcomings. On the contrary, local church is the ground in which we have been planted, sprouted, in which we are nurtured, and in which we have to grow. Thus we should never ever think of destroying it. And not even for a moment should we tolerate any attempt to destroy the New Testament pattern assemblies or its great heritage.

In the Old Testament we see the people of God falling repeatedly into sin and abomination. God rebuked and punished them, but at the same time He sent numerous prophets, teachers, leaders, and reformers among them for their uplift. Thus biblically speaking, the time of spiritual decay is not the time to kill the movement, rather it is the time to prune and revive it. When Nehemiah heard about the desolation and destruction of Jerusalem, he was not amused. He did not say “look I told you so”. He did not write a satire or a joke about the people of God. He did not immediately write an epitaph. He did not think of defecting from the Jewish community. He did not glorify the nations around. (The only time when people glorified the nations around and asked Samuel for a king like the outsiders was considered a blasphemy and abandoning of the God of their fathers). On the contrary, Nehemiah did something that all of us should emulate.

The Persians had a flourishing religion at that time. Nehemiah did not suggest that the people of God defect from the faith of their fathers to join this outwardly flourishing and vigor-filled religion. There was no hint of condemnation. On the contrary, he sat down, wept, fasted, prayed, even confessed, and then desired a restoration of the people and nation of God. This is the biblical model. When the people of God move towards desolation or destruction, it does not call of the I-told-you-so attitude, or condemnation, or satire. In church all of these ultimately are tools of destruction. On the contrary, the Word of God calls upon enlightened men and women to rise up and build. They have to begin with a heart full of pain and agony, should subject themselves to self-examination, confess their own shortcomings, and then build and restore.

Is it needed ? Yes, the biblical model is not to mock at and abandon the people of God during periods of decline, but rather to weep for and rebuild. In the light of this scriptural model, it is the obligation of each person in the assemblies right now to begin a process of self-examination, restoration of personal life, and then to contribute all what he or she can for rebuilding and restoring the assemblies. Anything contrary to this is contrary to the scriptures, and anyone claiming that the assemblies are dying is an enemy of the divine model. It is not in man’s authority to declare when a certain movement is dead. Only God can decide that, and let us not play God by taking such authority into our hands. Our sole privilege and obligation is to pray and work for the restoration of the people of God. Anything and everything against that is to be discouraged and even shunned.

Is It Worth It: If the Word of God says that something is to be done, then the question does not arise as to whether it is worth it or not. The Scripture never exhorts (or permits) the children of God to abandon the family of God. On the contrary, the Scripture always reminds God’s children to dissect and remove mercilessly from among them everything that works against individual and community spiritual life so that there might be a revival among the people of God.

In this connection both the Old as well as the New Testament repeatedly use the word “remnant” and remind us that in spite of the worst possible compromise a remnant will always be there. God Himself is said to be the keeper and preserver of the remnant, and therefore anyone who talks of the New Testament pattern assemblies becoming dead is talking against the sovereign hand of God that actually keeps His testimony alive. More so because the New Testament pattern is not a man-made church or denomination, but rather a testimony kept alive by children of God everywhere. The manner in which this testimony is to be kept alive was rediscovered, taught, and practiced most clearly in modern times by the group that is now known as the Brethren. And as long as the Lord keeps a remnant alive among this group of people, talking of death and extinction of the Assemblies is a statement against the sovereignty of God.

In the Old Testament the people of God fell numerous times into depravity, but each time God sent prophets and teachers and exhorted them. And each exhortation resulted in strengthening of the remnant. At least on some occasions such exhortation resulted in national restoration. Thus an attempt at restoration is not only biblical, but it is also definitely worth it.

Some might claim that all the preaching and exhortation from out pulpits has not resulted in anything substantial. What they mean is that since one cannot see immediate results in terms of conversions, such preaching is useless. This is a totally wrong and and abominable way of looking at it. Going by the same standard, almost all the Old Testament prophets preached in vain, because mass revivals were seen only in a few places — and not everywhere that they preached. Such thinking questions God’s plan and His sovereign control of human hearts and history.

The very fact that in spite on no apparent results, and in spite of no immediate mass conversions and repentance God kept sending His prophets, to His degenerate people shows that God wants attempts at restoration to continue. And if He wants this to continue, then it is obviously beneficial. Thus it is the obligation of each and every believer identified today as Brethren to work for the welfare of the remnant and also for the whole community. Immediate result or no result, he has to begin working for restoration. The work begun by Ezra and Zerubbabel took several decades to culminate in a revival, but finally there was a definite result. The same is the biblical model. Whether we are able to see the results or not, each one of us has to work for restoration and revival among the assemblies, first among the remnant and then among the masses. Unless the Ezras and Zerubbabels of this generation rise up and begin restoration, the Nehemiahs will not be able to complete their task.

Let us work on reviving the assemblies. That is needed and that is worth it. It is the biblical mandate that each generations work on reviving the people of God.

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